AUSTRALIA'S GAME : the complete history of the australian game of football

Australia’s Game―the History of Australian Football covers the history of Australian Rules football in fantastic detail. Unlike every other sport that has captured the nation’s interest, Australian football is not a copy, a clone, or a hand-me-down of European culture. Rather, it is a game with special qualities, which arose from a distinctive series of events in the fledgling colony of Victoria, grew rapidly, and is now the most dominant sport in the country: a social, commercial, cultural and―for many―spiritual force. Australia’s Game―the History of Australian Football describes, in forensic detail, the characters that led the way, how crises were faced and overcome, the great players and coaches who have influenced the ways the game has been played, the supporters who have stayed true to their club and have passed on their passion through generations, and most recently how the game has added another dimension with a flourishing national competition for women. Australias Game is the definitive history of Australian football, tracing the evolution of the game from its earliest, rudimentary forms in the period preceding the first recorded game, in 1858 to the totally professional game of the modern era. The authors, all passionate about the history of Australian football, have provided readers with the fine detail of every important evolutionary point in the games development, in every state and territory. Australias Game also explores historical AFL issues including a deeper discussion on Australian women in the AFL as both supporters and players, as well as new evidence on the theory that the game was developed as an offshoot of an Aboriginal game. The book traces the pathway to the national game, including forensic detail on how the Victorian Football League, on its knees in the eighties, with several clubs on the verge of bankruptcy, made the bold step to creating the monolithic national League. Shortlisted for the Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH) Biennial Book Prize Unlike every other sport that has captured the nation's interest, Australian football is not a copy, a clone, or a hand-me-down of European culture. Rather, it is a game with special qualities, which arose from a distinctive series of events in the fledgling colony of Victoria, grew rapidly, and is now the most dominant sport in the country: a social, commercial, cultural and—for many—spiritual force. Australia's Game—the History of Australian Football describes, in forensic detail, the characters that led the way, how crises were faced and overcome, the great players and coaches who have influenced the ways the game has been played, the supporters who have stayed true to their club and have passed on their passion through generations, and most recently how the game has added another dimension with a flourishing national competition for women. "Unlike every other sport that has captured the nation's interest, Australian football is not a copy, a clone, or a hand-me-down of European culture. Rather, it is a game with special qualities, which arose from a distinctive series of events in the fledgling colony of Victoria, grew rapidly, and is now the most dominant sport in the country: a social, commercial, cultural and - for many - spiritual force. Australia's Game - the History of Australian Football describes, in forensic detail, the characters that led the way, how crises were faced and overcome, the great players and coaches who have influenced the ways the game has been played, the supporters who have stayed true to their club and have passed on their passion through generations, and most recently how the game has added another dimension with a flourishing national competition for women"--Publisher's description